On Nov. 14, 2025, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team welcomed the Indiana University Indianapolis Jaguars to the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
This was the Eagles’ second home game of the season, as EMU returned home hoping to put another victory in the win column against a high-scoring Jaguar team.
Both teams understood that defense would be vital because both teams had the ability to score in bunches. Coming into the game, the Jaguars were averaging 98 points per game and had scored over 100 points in three of their first four games to begin the season. The Eagles were only scoring 68 points per game respectively but had only allowed opponents to score an average of 63 points.
First half
The Eagles won the opening tip, and a quick three-pointer by Carlos Hart got the game off and running. Addison Patterson filled out the stat sheet early with eight quick points along with two rebounds and two steals to go along with it.
The Jaguars’ full-court press disturbed the Eagles’ ability to inbound the ball and forced Eastern to call an early timeout to avoid a five-second violation. Breaking the full-court press would continue to be an issue for the Eagles that caused many turnovers throughout the game.
Defensive mistakes in transition became a fatal flaw for the Eagles as they allowed the Jaguars to climb back into the game and tie it at 19 halfway through the first half.
After a slow start, the Jaguars managed to get hot late shooting 54% from the floor on 20-of-37 shooting, compared to the Eagles' 38% on 15-of-39 shooting. The hot shooting would allow IU Indy to take a 49-38 lead going into halftime despite the Eagles forcing nine turnovers.
A major bright spot for the Eagles in the first half was Addison Patterson, who scored 12 points while also forcing three turnovers.
Second half
The Eagles returned in the second half for a back-and-forth affair as both teams raced up and down the court, the Eagles looking to cut into the Jaguars’ 11-point lead.
Patterson continued his hot streak in the second half, which kept Eastern in the game. Some help from Brealon Green helped Eastern tie the game at 74-74 with two clutch free throws, but a foot injury midway through the second half forced Patterson to leave the floor for the remainder of the game.
The injury would leave the Eagles searching for offense elsewhere, but the continued shooting struggles from the first half prevented Eastern from ever regaining the lead. Free throws would keep Eastern in the game, but an emphatic three by the Jaguars with only a minute left forced the Eagles into desperate three-point mode, and they were unable to recover.
The motivated defensive effort by the Eagles slowed the Jaguars but failed in completely shutting them out. The Eagles managed to force another eight turnovers while outscoring IU Indy 45-41 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. Overall, the Jaguars shot 54% from the floor on 35-of-64 shooting compared to Eastern’s 41% on 30-of-73 shooting.
“We gave up way too many back cuts and way too many open threes, and that was their game, that's their team, that's how they play, and we didn’t do a good enough job executing,” said Eagles head coach Stan Heath.
The Eagles fell to IU Indy with a final score of 90-83, giving the Jaguars their second win of the season while pushing Eastern to a 1-2 overall record.
Despite leaving midway through the second half, Patterson was Eastern Michigan’s leading scorer with a season high 23 points on the night. Jon Sanders II and Mo Habhab also chipped in, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively. Habhab also brought in 10 rebounds.
What’s next
Eastern’s next game will be on the road with a 7 p.m. tipoff against the University of Detroit Mercy on Nov. 18, 2025. The Titans currently boast a 1-2 record this season.
“We’ve got to watch the film and break things down. They’ve got a lot of three-point shooting on their team, so we have to guard the three really well,” Heath said. “We’ve got to go into someone else’s building and take care of business and get one back.”
Heath and the Eagles will face a familiar foe in Orlando Lovejoy, a former Eastern Eagle who played two years for the green and white before transferring to Detroit Mercy for the 2024-25 season.
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or listen to it on the WEMU Radio Network.
